By Isaac Mission
The Labour Party is capable of surpassing its 2023 electoral performance in Abia State in the 2027 general elections, even without the widespread popularity associated with Peter Obi at the time, the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Austin Okezie Meregini, has said.
Meregini said the party’s prospects would be strengthened by the performance of Governor Alex Otti’s administration and the support the Labour Party has built across the state.
The Deputy Speaker made the remarks during an interview on Sunday while responding to arguments that Labour Party’s strong showing in Abia during the 2023 elections was largely a result of Obi’s popularity.
According to him, the party had already established a significant political presence in Abia before Obi became its presidential candidate.
“By this time in 2022, you saw how Labour Party was everywhere. You saw the momentum. It didn’t happen by chance,” Meregini said.
He acknowledged Obi’s contribution to the party’s success but maintained that Otti’s popularity in Abia was also a major factor behind Labour’s performance in the state.
“Obi’s impact was there, we can’t jettison it. But it is on record that Abia did very well because we had a very popular governorship candidate,” he said.
Meregini pointed to the outcome of the 2023 state assembly elections as evidence of the party’s strength in Abia. He noted that Labour secured 10 seats in the Abia State House of Assembly, describing the result as the highest number won by the party across the South-East and South-South regions.
He contrasted Abia’s performance with that of other states, arguing that the so-called “Obi wave” alone could not explain Labour’s electoral fortunes across the country.
“If it was for Obi wave, Imo State House of Assembly had less than three. They had only one Labour Party House member. Ebonyi had about one or two,” he said.
The lawmaker further stressed that Otti was already a member of the Labour Party before Obi joined the party, arguing that the party had developed considerable grassroots support in Abia ahead of the 2023 elections.
“Peter Obi came to meet Dr. Otti. The party was already gathering that wave of momentum,” Meregini stated.
Looking towards 2027, the Deputy Speaker expressed confidence that Labour would record an even stronger result in Abia, citing what he described as the achievements and growing popularity of the Otti administration.
“We are going to do far better than we did in 2023, considering the popularity of the government of Dr. Alex Otti, considering how well this administration has done, and considering the acceptance of this government by the people of Abia State,” he said.
Meregini also recalled an encounter he said he had at Gatwick Airport in London with a Nigerian from Edo State, who praised the Abia government after learning that he was from the state.
He said such reactions outside Abia were an indication of the growing public perception of Otti’s administration and could further strengthen Labour’s standing ahead of the 2027 polls.
“That’s the kind of goodwill we are enjoying, courtesy of the personality of Dr. Alex Otti. So it’s going to be all success for Abia people, for Abia Labour Party,” Meregini said.
The Deputy Speaker also expressed confidence in retaining his seat as the representative of Umuahia North State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly.
